Sanitary water-closet seat.



F. I. GRAVES. SANITARY WATER CLOSET SEAT. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18.1914.

Patented May 25, 1915.

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THE NORRIS FETEJSTCOH PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D. C.

FRANK J. GRAVES, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SANITARY WATER-CLOSET SEAT.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

Application filed June 18, 1914. Serial No. 845,907.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK J. GRAVES, acitizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county ofHampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Sanitary Water-Closet Seats, of which the fol lowing isa specification.

My present invention relates to new and useful improvements in sanitaryattachments for closet seats, the primary object of my invention beingthe provision of a particular type of two wing seat structure especiallyadapted to receive protective pads of paper, each pad being made up of aplurality of sheets adapted to be consecutively detached by the users ofthe closet in order to present a fresh sheet to each user.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel form ofreinforcement for a light weight metallic seat structure and provide thereinforcing element with spring clips by means of which the protectivepads may be secured in place to present a neat and finished appearance.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a novel formof hinge for the seat cover, so arranged that the seat cover may remainin proper parallel relation to the seat, when closed, irrespective ofthe thickness of the interposed protective ads.

p In this connection, a further object of my invention is to constructthe hinge in such a manner as to give it double pivotal movement and toprovide means for limiting the relative movement of two of the threepivoted members.

lVith these and other objects in View, my invention will be more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and thenspecifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form apart of this application.

In the accompanying drawings :--Figure 1 is a plan view of my improvedcloset seat with the protective pads in place, the cover being brokenaway to disclose the construction of the seat, Fig. 2 a longitudinalsectional view taken through the line 22 of Fig. 1, illustrating certaindetails in the seat and pad construction, and also showing my novelcover supporting hinge in elevation, Fig. 8 is a fragmentary transversesectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, illustrating one methodof securing the protective pads in place, and Fig. 4 is a fragmentarytop plan view showing my improved cover supporting hinge.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

My improved seat together with its protective pads and cover may beapplied to closet hoppers of various forms and sizes without materialstructural changes. The seat may be formed of either wood or metal, orin fact, of any material which may be found suitable, sheet metal beingpreferred. The seat proper indicated as a whole by the numeral 10includes a body in the form of a keystone-shaped frame, the outerperipheral edges of which may be rounded somewhat to conform to thecurvature of the hopper 11, if desired. This frame is open at itsforward ends as shown to provide a two winged seat construction of moreor less conventional shape. It should be noted however, at this point,that the rear inner edge of the seat body is of right line extent andthat the rear side portions of such body are also of right line extentbeing formed at equal angles to the rear edge portion. Furthermore, theforward edge portions which extend at equal angles to the rear sideportions and which are considerably longer, are also of right lineextent. In other words, the inner peripheral edge of the seat is made upof a plurality of straight edge portions, this being advisable tofacilitate the proper positioning of the protective pads, as will belater explained.

The body of the seat 10 is preferably stamped and formed from a singlesheet of metal of suitable weight and quality, the edge portions of theseat being bent to provide downwardly directed flanges 12 havinginwardly directed terminals 13 in order to present smooth rounded edgesand consequently, provide a neat seat structure. A reinforcing member 1%preferably extends throughout the seat from one end to the other beingcurved to correspond substantially to the curvature of the seat, andsuch member is proportioned to project below the lower end edges of theseat and engage directly upon the upper face of the hopper or bowl 11.All downward pressure upon the seat is therefore supported not by theinp of the reinforcing member.

spaced intervals, this depending stem portion is preferably providedwithdownwardly directed studs 15, of rubber orother suitable cushioningmaterial to engage the hopper, for obvious reasons.

Secured to the rear portion of the hop-per is a hinge supporting member16, substantially rectangular in general shape and preferably of hollowsheet metal construction, being. open at its lower end. This hingesupporting member may be secured to the hopper by stay bolts 17 or anyother suitable fastening means, and the seat is connected to it byspaced hinges 18 of any desired type.

In connection with the above described seat, I employ two separate andindependent protective pads 19 each of which is made up of a pluralityof superimposed sheets of paper. This paper may be some form of tissue,or it may be either oiled or otherwise chemically treated to preventstain of any other than the uppermost sheet. The general shape of thesepads, before application to the sides or wings of the seat, is indicatedby dotted lines in Fig. 1, where it will be seen that each pad comprisesa body portion corresponding substantially to the shape of one of thewings and provided along its inner edges with extending flaps a and Z),and along its outer edges with flaps c and d, these fiaps being soformed that when folded around beneath the clownwardly and inwardlyturned edges of the seat, the pad as a whole will present a neatappearance. The flaps are of such length as to extend past the freeedges of the seat into juxtaposition to the reinforcing member 14 asbest shown in Fig. 3. This reinforcing member at suitable intervals, isprovided with spring clips 20 which are preferably arranged in pairs atopposite sides Each of these spring clips consists of a strip ofresilient metal secured by one end to the downwardly directed portion ofthe reinforcing member by a rivet 21 or other suitable fastening means,the intermediate portion of such strip being bowed outwardly, as is alsothe free end portion, that part between such portions bearing firmlyagainst the reinforcing member. The flaps of the pads at pointscorresponding to the location of these clips, are perforated to receivewire hooks or fastening devices 22 which are also adapted to en.- gagethe spring clips, as shown inFig. 3. Instead of these hooks, singlelengths of suitable wire may be passed through the perforations andwound, or otherwise engaged about the spring clips when the pads areapplied. Because of the forming of the inner peripheral edges of theseat in right line sections, as previously described, the inner inturnededges of the pads fit smoothly against the inner edges of the seat, theresult being a neat and finished structure.

A cover 23, either of hollow metal construction or of wood as preferred,is sup plied, this cover practically corresponding, in general outline,to the superficial outline of the side edges of the seat. This cover ishingedly secured to the hinge supporting member 16 by compound hinges24, the construction of which is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4 of thedrawings. Each hinge includes a body portion 25 which is pivotallymounted upon a pin 26 extending between spaced brackets 27 secured tdthe rear portion of the upper face of the cover 23, the body member inadvance of these brackets being curved upwardly and'forwardly and thendownwardly into spaced relation to the cover as shown at 28, such endbeing provided with a cushloning plug 29 of rubber or othersuitable-material. Immediately at the rear of the brackets 27, the bodymember is widened or laterally thickenedto provide stop shoulders 30which limit the extent to which the cover may swing away from thedownturned end 28 of the body of the hinge. The rear end of the hingebody terminates in an eye 31 which is substantially in horizontalalinement with the pivot pin 26 and the upwardly bowed, rounded,intermediate portion 32 of a U-shaped bracket extends through this eyeand forms the main pivot pin for the hinge, the lower terminals of thisbracket being enlarged and perforated to provide attaching ears 33. Staybolts 34: or other suitable fastening means are passed through theperforations of these earsto secure the hinge to the hinge supportingmeme ber 16 and the hopper.

From the foregoing description of the hinges taken in connection withthe drawings, their operation will be readily under-v stood. Upon firststarting to raise the cover 23, the latter swings about the pivot pins26 until brought into engagement with the cushioning plugs 29 of thehinge bodies,

after which the hinge bodies and cover swing together about the pivotportions 32 of the hinge bracket-s. Upon lowering the seat, the coverswings away from the bodies of the hinges until such swinging movementis checked by the engagement of the shoulders 30 with the brackets 27,after which the cover and hinge body swing together about the brackets82 until the cover engages the seat. By providing two pivot supports foreach hinge, and thus in effect making a compound hinge, it will beapparent that the cover 23 will at all times when lowered be inhorizontal position, irrespective of the thickness of the padsinterposed between.

the seat proper and said cover which would not be the case with a simplehinge of common construction.

It will, of course be understood, that in using the seat, each user willtear off the uppermost sheet from the protective pads and fresh sheetswill therefore, be presented to each user.

It will, further, be understood that I do not wish to, in any way, limitmyself to the specific details of construction illustrated in thedrawings and described in the above specification, as any minor changeseither in construction or arrangement, within the scope of the appendedclaims may be made, without in the slightest degree departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. A closet seat including a body member of hollowformation, protective pads applicable to the side portions of the bodymember and having flaps adapted to be turned in beneath the body member,and means arranged interiorly of the body member for securing the flaps.

2. A closet seat including a body member of hollow formation, protectivepads applicable to the side portions of the body member and having flapsadapted to be turned in beneath the body member, means arrangedinteriorly of the body member for securing the flaps, said meansincluding a reinforcing member located interiorly of the body member,and interengaging fastening means carried by the reinforcing member andby the flaps.

3. A closet seat including a substantially U-shaped body member formedof sheet metal having its edge portions curved downwardly and inwardly,the inner edges of the body member being of right line extent,protective pads applicable to the sides of the body member and havingflaps adapted to be turned in beneath the inturned edges of the bodymember, and means for securing the pads in place.

4. A closet seat including a body member formed from sheet metal havingits edge portions curved downwardly and inwardly, a reinforcing membersecured interiorly of the body member and extending throughout itslength, said reinforcing member extending slightly below the body memberthroughout its length to engage a hopper and hold said memberthereabove, and protective pads carried by the body member with theiredges turned in beneath the inwardly curved edge portions of the bodymember.

5. In a toilet seat, a supporting body having downturned sides, asustaining rib beneath said body and throughout its length spaced fromits sides, a plurality of sheets of material superimposed and engagingover said body and beneath its sides, catch devices oarried by said rib,and clip devices passed through said sheets of material and engagingsaid catch devices.

6. A closed seat including a substantially U-shaped body member formedwith its inner edges of right line extent, protective pads applicable tothe sides of the body member and having flaps adapted to be turned inbeneath the inturned edges of right line extent, and means for securingthe pads in place.

7. A closet seat including a substantially U-shaped body member havingits edge portions curved downwardly and inwardly, a brace memberextending throughout the length of the body member and projecting belowthe bottom thereof, clips carried by the brace member, protective padsapplicable to the sides of the body member and having flaps adapted tobe turned in beneath the edges thereof, and hook devices carried by theflaps and engageable with the clips to secure the pads in place.

8. A closet seat including a substantially U-shaped body member formedwith its inner and its forward outer edges of right line extent,protective pads applicable to the sides of the body member and havingflaps adapted to be turned in beneath the edges of right line extent,and means for securing the pads in place.

9. In a toilet seat, a supporting body having clown-turned sides, asustaining rib beneath said body and spaced from its sides, a pluralityof sheets of material superimposed upon each other resting upon the bodywith their edges extending beneath the sides, and means co-acting withthe edges of the sheets and rib for holding said sheets upon the body inposition to be detached one at a time.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J. GRAVES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0.

